Europe
Prisoners in Paradise

THE REVIEW

EUROPE - PRISONERS IN PARADISE (1991, SONY)

TRACK LIST:

01) ALL OR NOTHING
02) HALFWAY TO HEAVEN
03) I’ LL CRY FOR YOU
04) LITTLE BIT OF LOVIN’
05) TALK TO ME
06) SEVENTH SIGN
07) PRISONERS IN PARADISE
08) BAD BLOOD
09) HOMELAND
10) GOT YOUR MIND IN THE GUTTER
11) ‘TIL MY HEART BEATS DOWN YOUR DOOR
12) GIRL FROM LEBANON

Prisoner in paradise… this is how the band with the long-haired singer Joey Tempest must have felt after the release of the album “Out Of This World” (1988), an album with some memorable moments but unable, in practice, to replicate the worldwide success of its multi-platinum predecessor “The Final Countdown” (1986).

Fallen into a sort of limbo, where critics seemed to underestimate them and the public snubbed them due to the emergence of new teen idols (Winger, Slaughter, and Def Leppard in particular), Europe decided to set aside personal frustrations and recover the artistic dignity that had distinguished their first two records, risking it all with a new dynamic LP, the production of which was entrusted to the competent Beau Hill, already producer for acts like Alice Cooper, Ratt, and Twisted Sister (in the controversial “Love Is For Suckers”).
The proposed genre ideally continues the path started with “Out Of This World”, accentuating the A.O.R. influences and drastically reducing the power reminiscences that had characterized the beginnings. Confirming my old personal theory that Hill's productions, despite being dazzling and of considerable depth, were never decisive (as demonstrated by the cases of the aforementioned Alice Cooper and Ratt, who later turned to Desmond Child, or Warrant, who preferred Michael Wagener for their gritty “Dog Eat Dog”), even in this work some limits emerge, especially in terms of sound dynamics that, probably also due to stylistic choices, come across as excessively “clean” and lacking the incisiveness typical of names such as Bruce Fairbairn, Tom Werman, or Bob Rock.

“Prisoners In Paradise” is, however, an undoubtedly interesting album: the initial triptych, composed of the energetic “All or nothing”, the explosive “Halfway to heaven”, and the superb ballad “I’ll cry for you” is anthological. Unfortunately, however, the album does not continue at the same level and the excellent premises do not fully materialize, resulting in a rather uneven work, alternating gems of undisputed value with decidedly forgettable episodes. On many occasions, Europe is content to tread familiar paths, even coming out on top, as happens in “Little bit of lovin’” or the more gritty “Bad blood”, but often Tempest and his comrades' compositional vein is led into dangerous waters, bogging the band down in the inglorious quagmires of unproductive presumption. The “stone of scandal”, which well embodies what has been said, is represented by the title track, a melodic piece that borders on plagiarism of the Beatles' “Let it be”, further shaking the artistic credibility of the Scandinavians. The Swedish band would like to complete its “Americanization”, convinced, and rightly so, of the validity of their means (we remember that Kee Marcello is an axe-man capable of ranging from classic heavy rock to more intense blues, and Tempest himself, although widely indebted to David Coverdale's style, is a singer of undeniable quality) and the real possibility of outshining the easy melodies of many overseas formations: something, however, goes wrong and the combo finds itself in the dust. Much of the audience looks elsewhere (ironically, this happens especially in the U.S.A.…) and the album does not satisfy any audience faction, neither those who wanted a new “The Final Countdown” nor, much less, hard rock enthusiasts, who were abundantly satisfied by the release of Guns N’ Roses' “Use Your Illusion I & II” or distracted by the emergence of the grunge movement.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, considered outdated and démodé, as well as excessively garish and not very credible, Joey Tempest's band achieves moderate recognition only in Europe (in Italy the album sells well), but “Prisoners In Paradise” captures in its title the group's situation, now forgotten or remembered only with a smile. What should have rightly happened at the time of “Out Of This World” occurs with the release of this album, of significantly higher quality but marred by an excessively prolonged absence from the scene and an irreversible changing of the guard in global audience preferences. A pity, because tracks like the wonderful “Homeland”, with exquisite choruses and seductive guitars, or the ambitious “Girl from Lebanon” would have deserved to be properly appreciated by any A.O.R. and melodic hard rock enthusiast.

“Prisoners In Paradise” will be the temporary swan song of Europe, at least until an acclaimed and unexpected reunion in the new millennium: the group is left with the satisfaction of having closed the first part of their career by releasing an album that might be too pretentious, but undoubtedly interesting.

(Enrico Rosticci)